What is Creative Commons?

The idea underlying Creative Commons is that some people may not want to exercise all of the intellectual property rights the law affords them.

We believe there is an unmet demand for an easy yet reliable way to tell the world “Some rights reserved” or even “No rights reserved.” Many creators have long since concluded that all-out copyright doesn't help them gain the exposure and widespread distribution they want. Plenty of entrepreneurs and artists prefer to rely on innovative business models rather than full-fledged copyright to secure a return on their creative investment. Still others get fulfillment from contributing to and participating in an intellectual commons.

For whatever reasons, it is clear that many citizens of the Internet want to share their work — and the power to reuse, modify, and distribute their work — with others on generous terms. Creative Commons intends to help people express this preference for sharing by offering the world a set of licenses on our website, at no charge.